


Happy endings aren't just handed over

by samstoleaburger



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Drinking to Cope, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Soldiers, Video Cameras
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 18:03:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7184414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samstoleaburger/pseuds/samstoleaburger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Really, Alfred...must you record <i>everything</i>?"</p><p>"Hey, you might not know it now, but one of these days you're gonna be thanking me for it. Probably when we're both wrinkly and old and forgetful, but you'll be thanking me."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy endings aren't just handed over

**Author's Note:**

> Long story short, this has come about because of this [post](http://ameger.tumblr.com/post/130321169328/human-au-where-alfred-always-makes-home-videos-of). (I fudged up on a couple things, but I'm still gonna credit it for this coming to life.) Also, you can thank a friend of mine for actually getting me to post this. I wasn't too sure about it but they told me that it was fine so...enjoy.

"Alfred...what are you doing?"  
  
"Recording this, duh." Alfred grinned as he peered over the camcorder. "It's not everyday you turn twenty-four, y'know."  
  
Ludwig turned his attention back to his beer and his brow creased as he tightened his hold. "Why? So you can blackmail me later when I'm hungover?" He looked back up once he caught sight of Alfred shaking his head, a lewd smile making its way across Alfred's face.  
  
"Nope. I got plans for you later, baby, and I need you sober for about half of 'em."  
  
His cheeks warmed a couple degrees at this. "Alfred!"  
  
"Whoops. Sorry. Shouldn't say that while this is on, huh?"  
  
"You could actually try sounding a little ashamed, you know."  
  
"What's the fun in that?" Alfred lowered the camcorder, fiddling with it for a moment before turning it off completely. "'sides, it's not like anyone's going to find it. And it's not like I'm going to have it on when we're, y'know, doin' it."  
  
Ludwig huffed a laugh as he took a sip, holding his hand out to take the proffered recorder and put it down on the table. "I hope not. Or is there something you aren't telling me? Some kind of fetish?"  
  
"Hilarious, babe." Alfred rolled his eyes before he snatched up the can and took a large pull. "C'mon, let's get your cake outta the fridge."

* * *

They both somehow managed to line up their vacation days and were currently visiting Ludwig's friend in Japan. Alfred actually had to give Kiku some credit for accommodating them despite his hectic schedule, what with rushing to reach the deadline for his newest manga's release. Though it wasn't like they popped in unannounced, something Ludwig hated dealing with himself whenever someone decided to drop in for a few days. Which is what Alfred had done more times than he cared to admit when they first started dating, though he digresses.  
  
Kiku had become a tad agitated the closer the deadline loomed and Ludwig, ever the sensible one, suggested they head out to see the sights.  
  
Alfred agreed without much protest and nabbed his camcorder on the way out. Ever the opportunist, he immediately began recording their adventure through the streets despite Ludwig's protests.  
  
"Really, Alfred...must you record _everything_?"  
  
"Hey, you might not know it now, but one of these days you're gonna be thanking me for it. Probably when we're both wrinkly and old and forgetful, but you'll be thanking me."  
  
Ludwig sighed and gave Alfred his exasperated 'you're absolutely ridiculous, but that's why I love you' look that always egged him on in whatever he was doing.  
  
"Not only that, but you look _a-maz-ing_ from this angle. Kinda like Adonis or Clint Eastwood." He wiggled his eyebrows and laughed once Ludwig's face gained an endearing shade of pink. "But you're still the hottest in my book."  
  
"Alfred..."  
  
"My dorky, gorgeous boyfriend who rocks a pair of raggedy sweatpants and loves dogs. I gotta say, I got the whole package and then some." He reached over and took hold of Ludwig's hand, giving an affectionate squeeze. "I wanna look back on these when we get old and laugh over how young and dumb we were. Then I wanna hold your hand and kiss you like we never aged a day. So don't get mad, okay?"  
  
Ludwig bit the inside of his cheek for a moment as he looked down at their hands, shivering when Alfred ran his thumb over the back of his hand. He rose his gaze back up toward Alfred's and the corner of his mouth tugged up. "I make no promises but I'll try."  
  
"Good." Alfred leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Ludwig's lips. As he pulled back, he rose their joined hands and placed the camcorder in the palm of Ludwig's hand. "Now hold onto this for a bit, okay?"  
  
Once Alfred relinquished his hold, Ludwig readjusted his grasp on the recorder and held it up to capture the carefree grin spreading across Alfred's face. He tightened his hold slightly as a smile of his own began to surface while Alfred's attention was directed elsewhere.  
  
"Alfred?"  
  
He glanced over his shoulder. "Hmm?"  
  
"Happy Anniversary."  
  
Ludwig took a moment to contemplate if it was possible, but it seemed like Alfred was glowing.  
  
"Happy Anniversary, Ludwig."

* * *

They attended Elizaveta  and Roderich's wedding sometime mid-June. The weather was pleasant and the skies were crystal clear for any sign of clouds for miles. Alfred had leaned over sometime during the ceremony and whispered that the clouds were probably too scared to ruin the day and risk Elizaveta's wrath. Ludwig had only gone for jabbing him in his side while he held the camcorder up to record the whole thing.  
  
Elizaveta looked absolutely beautiful in her gown and she had her hair curled, flowers that complimented the dress were pinned in random sections. Her make-up was light as to not take away from her natural beauty and Gilbert insisted that Roderich had shed a tear when he saw her walk down the aisle.  
  
Not like anyone else could keep their tear-ducts in check, but Ludwig wasn't going to rain on his brother's parade.  
  
Once the ceremony was over and the reception had started, everyone got swept up in a whirlwind of activity. The food was elegant, champagne flowing, the dedicated speeches and dances were lighthearted. It was everything a wedding could and should be.  
  
At some point during the night, Alfred had dragged Ludwig away from the camcorder long enough to get a few dances out of him. They rocked from side to side as a slow song played, conversing in soft whispers and secretive smiles. Alfred squeezed Ludwig's hip with a cheeky grin as they spoke of how nice the venue was and how Ludwig wasn't exactly looking forward to going back to work the next day.  
  
Eventually, in the middle of another song, Ludwig had urged Alfred outside to take in the scenery as the sun began to set. It gave the small townhouse a surreal look and when they looked back toward one another, the light emphasized their features. Alfred's eyes softened from how Ludwig's eyes gained a hypnotizing shade of blue, blending in with his natural shade. He rose a hand to rest on the back of Ludwig's neck, brushing his thumb over the nape as Ludwig brushed his knuckles over Alfred's cheek.  
  
They stayed like that for several minutes, sharing feather light, intimate touches.  
  
After all, everyone was too busy celebrating to notice if they took a long time coming back in. There was no rush to either and Gilbert was safeguarding the camera for Ludwig.  
  
And if there was some drunken footage by the time they got back?  
  
Well, Alfred will be too busy laughing as Ludwig's grumbling and deleting it.

* * *

Alfred's standing by the security point in the airport, a mile wide grin gracing his features as he waves enthusiastically to Ludwig. He knows he should see Alfred off with as much joy as Alfred is as he's leaving, but Ludwig can't bring himself to do it. Can't even bring himself to fake it for the sake of not worrying Alfred.  
  
It was inevitable that Alfred would be sent off overseas, but Ludwig wishes they had just a little more time. He knows it's dangerous and it doesn't ease his worries any when Alfred's heading out after seeing a news story about a roadside bomb taking out a whole unsuspecting squad. Alfred always laughs the stories off after he talks Ludwig down. Tells him that he gets it, he really does. He worries about Ludwig when he goes to work and how he wants to walk Ludwig just to be sure he gets there safely.  
  
But Alfred always gets quiet after and stares at the TV as if he's in a daze.  
  
Ludwig knows that Alfred's silently giving the families his condolences. He knows because he notices the way Alfred's jaw ticks, how his eyes glaze over with unshed tears and the firm press of his lips into a thin line.  
  
He snaps himself back to the present and raises his hand to wave back.  
  
Alfred is positively glowing and he blows Ludwig a kiss before picking up his bags to make his way onto the plane.  
  
Ludwig stays there until Alfred is no longer in his field of vision and he reaches up to grab hold of the cross Gilbert gave him for his fifth birthday. He holds on tight as the other military officials bid adieu to their partners and the conversations are soon drowned out around him. He watches as they board the plane as well and stays there until the plane takes off.  
  
His hand is hurting by the time he lets go.  
  
_"Promise you'll come home safe."_  
  
_"Dude, no worries. I'll be there and back before you know it."_

* * *

Ludwig could remember the last funeral he'd gone to and remembered how his young self was naive enough to believe it would be the last. He recalled the pain he'd gone through from the open casket all the way until the undertaker lowered the coffin six feet under. Gilbert and Alfred had to keep an eye on him all the way to the small diner where the after feast was taking place.  
  
He knew that Alfred drove because Gilbert had been too busy making sure Ludwig was okay. Even being considerate enough to ask if Ludwig just wanted to go home instead of joining the family.  
  
Ludwig remembered how he hadn't been the same for the next two weeks. He had lost the energy to get up out of bed and just wanted to sit down until it sank in. Gilbert had unwillingly left the task of looking after Ludwig to Alfred since Gilbert had to rush back to Germany to get back to work three days into Ludwig's slump.  
  
Now, however, he couldn't believe he'd been so dense and childish about it being the last funeral.  
  
It was a clear, mildly hot day with the sun shining bright. A huge contrast with the mood that had settled over the graveyard as one by one, people set rose after rose on the casket. There were a couple other families out in Saint Mary's Cemetery, all there for the very same reason the rest of them were.  
  
Alfred's platoon had been sent out onto the field to patrol and someone decided to rig a building with explosives. A child had gotten too close, triggering the sensors and three of the men had rushed to try and save the young girl. Luckily, she survived, but it ultimately ended up costing three men their lives in the attempt.  
  
Sergeant James Conolley, Captain Robert 'Bobby' Gribble and Lieutenant Alfred F. Jones.  
  
Ludwig stepped up to the coffin and set the rose down.  
  
He stayed until the casket was lowered and buried. Alfred's family stood beside him the whole time and Matthew held out the plaque in his direction with a sad smile. Ludwig reached out, hesitant to take it but took hold once Matthew pressed it into his hand. As he looked up, Matthew nodded slowly.  
  
"He would have wanted you to have it."  
  
Ludwig took in a shaky breath and his world blurred around the edges as he held it to his chest. "...thank you."

* * *

_"Alfred...what are you doing?"_  
  
_"Recording this, duh. It's not everyday you turn twenty-four, y'know."_  
  
Ludwig paused the video, staring back at his own face that showed how exasperated he'd been with Alfred over recording his birthday. He felt a ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth but felt his chest contract as he breathed. Ludwig wiped at his eyes for a minute before he pressed play to finish watching the short clip.  
  
He had spent two weeks struggling to keep his head above water and trying not to drown in the negative emotions. Normally he'd have Alfred to crack a joke or Gilbert would give him a literal boot in the ass to get him motivated. However, Ludwig had neither of those this time. Alfred was...gone and Gilbert was swamped with work.  
  
Ludwig ejected the tape and pushed the next one in. The one titled '2nd Anniversary.'  
  
_"Really, Alfred...must you record_ everything _?"_  
  
_"Hey, you might not know it now, but one of these days you're gonna be thanking me for it. Probably when we're both wrinkly and old and forgetful, but you'll be thanking me."_  
  
He huffed out a laugh as the recording showed him turn and give Alfred that look that always managed to encourage Alfred to carry on with his antics.  
  
_"Not only that, but you look_ a-maz-ing _from this angle. Kinda like Adonis or Clint Eastwood."_  
  
The silence in the room was filled with Alfred's laughter as Ludwig's face warmed onscreen.  
  
_"But you're still the hottest in my book."_  
  
_"Alfred..."_  
  
_"My dorky, gorgeous boyfriend who rocks a pair of raggedy sweatpants and loves dogs. I gotta say, I got the whole package and then some."_  
  
The camera shook a bit and Ludwig almost felt like Alfred was taking hold of his hand again.  
  
_"I wanna look back on these when we get old and laugh over how young and dumb we were. Then I wanna hold your hand and kiss you like we never aged a day. So don't get mad, okay?"_  
  
Ludwig stopped the camera altogether and set it down with shaking hands. He scrubbed his face, feeling two day old stubble prick his fingers and took in several deep breaths. There were a couple empty beer cans on the coffee table and Ludwig knew it was stupid to drink then watch the videos. All it did was make him reach for more alcohol when it got to be too much and Ludwig knew Alfred wouldn't want him to cope with losing him this way.  
  
But what else could he do?  
  
He curled up with a choked off sob as he rested his forehead on his knees. "What do you want me to do, Alfred?"

* * *

Ludwig folded the laundry with the military percision Alfred never seemed to pick up. He shook out the next shirt he picked out of the basket, staring at it once he realized just what was on it and laughed. It was the Captain America shirt Ludwig had bought Alfred for his twenty-sixth birthday. As a joke, really, since Alfred's side of the closet was practically bursting with superhero shirts, but Alfred loved it.  
  
He shook his head slowly, closing his eyes and pressing the shirt to his face with a wistful sigh.  
  
As devestated as he is, Ludwig is slowly but surely learning how to get back on his feet. That doesn't mean he stopped watching the videos that Alfred is in or doesn't stop looking through the photo album. He's not fine, but he's getting there.  
  
Lowering the shirt, he turned to put it down in its proper place in the dresser and stopped once he caught sight of a small cassette sticking out from under the pile of clothes in the drawer he pulled open. Reaching inside, Ludwig picked it up and pulled it out with a frown. He was sure they kept all the tapes together so they'd never lose them.  
  
Or, he assumed so.  
  
The most confusing part of all was that there was a label on it, but all it said was 'Watch me!' with a smiley face at the end.  
  
Deciding to leave the laundry be for now, Ludwig went to go dig out the camera and went to the living room. As he hooked it up, he felt his hands start to shake again and was almost terrified of the 'what if's. What if this is Alfred telling him he had the same bad feeling Ludwig had before departing? What if this is Alfred saying goodbye? What if...  
  
He grit his teeth and turned the TV and recorder on, pressing play before he couldn't bring himself to do it.  
  
The screen flickered for a few seconds, facing the window in their kitchen and, from the date in the upper right corner, it looked like it was shot two weeks after Elizaveta and Roderich's wedding. He could hear Alfred's nervous cough from behind the camera before Alfred moved around to stand in front of it. Alfred was wearing the blue shirt that made his eyes stand out more and there was a nervous smile on his face as he waved to the camera.  
  
_"Hey, Ludwig."_ Alfred coughed into his fist and pursed his lips before clearing his throat. _"Hey. You're, uh, probably wondering why I'm having you watch this instead of actually saying it myself but..."_ He cursed softly. _"Okay, shit. I'm just going to get on with it and you can laugh at me after you're done watching. So, you know I love you. Like, really,_ really _love you and you're like my sunshine and all that jazz. Shut up. I know you're laughing at me for that."_  
  
The sad part is, Ludwig was chuckling a bit.  
  
_"Point is, after Elizaveta and Roderich's wedding and when we were alone outside, I realized something. Happy endings aren't just handed over and there's no such thing as a fairytale. Well, not unless you reach out and grab it yourself. And I wanna give you the world and make you the happiest guy on the planet so..."_  
  
Alfred's face had grown an interesting shade of red, yet he looked terrified at the same time as he reached into his pocket. There was fifteen or so seconds of him fiddling with whatever was inside and Ludwig's eyes began to widen.  
  
"Alfred..."  
  
Whatever he had been fiddling with, it helped Alfred finally find the courage to finish whatever he'd been having trouble saying. _"Will you marry me, Ludwig Beilschmidt?"_  
  
The screen went black and Ludwig took in a shaky breath as the tears that had welled up spilled over. He didn't bother wiping them away as he breathed, "Yes."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, it may not _seem_ like an open ending, but trust me, it is totally an open ending. Whether or not Ludwig moves forward right then and there or a week(s) later is entirely up to you.


End file.
